CHECK OUT THE 1st BIOECONOMY GIANTS PRESS RELEASE
20/06/2025
PRESS RELEASE
New CBE – JU project starts: BIOECONOMY GIANTS fosters the collaboration between primary producers and the biobased industries to promote sustainable growth.
We are happy to announce the official start of BIOECONOMY GIANTS, a project that aims to bring together primary producers and biobased industries to create innovative cooperative and circular biobased business models (CCBBMs).
BIOECONOMY GIANTS serves as Coordination and Support Action project, which is funded by Circular Biobased Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE-JU) under Horizon Europe, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. Under the Grant Agreement No. 101213069, this innovative initiative, with a budget nearing €4 million, is set to run for 30 months upon its official commencement in June 2025
The project held its kick off meeting on the June 17th 2025 at FOOD+I’s facilities in Logroño, Spain. During the meeting, all partners presented their involvement and responsibilities in the project and shared their ideas and ambitions for a successful implementation to achieve the specific project objectives.
The BIOECONOMY GIANTS unlocks untapped value from agricultural, forestry, and agrifood residues by turning them into new business opportunities for primary producers, rural actors, and bio-based industries. It supports the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy in Europe by promoting cooperative and circular biobased business models (CCBBMs) and integrating farmers and foresters into the bio-based value chain, via multi actor approach To make that happen, BIOECONOMY GIANTS mobilises tailored training, direct funding, and dedicated decision support tools like IMPACT SHIFT and COOMPY.
The BIOECONOMY GIANTS consortium, led by ASOCIACION CLUSTER FOOD+I (FOOD +i), consists of 18 partners across 8 European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain ). The consortium members are: ASOCIACION CLUSTER FOOD+I (FOOD +i), FUNDACION CIRCE CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION DE RECURSOS Y CONSUMOS ENERGETICOS (CIRCE), AINIA, EUROPEAN FOREST INSTITUTE (EFI), WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY (WU), BIO BASE EUROPE PILOT PLANT VZW (BBEPP), AGENZIA PER LA PROMOZIONE DELLA RICERCA EUROPEA (APRE), FLANDERS' FOOD, CENTRO NACIONAL DE TECNOLOGIA Y SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA (CNTA), ENCO SRL, CLUSTER INDUSTRIELLE BIOTECHNOLOGIE E (CLIB), SPRING SUSTAINABLE PROCESSES AND RESOURCES FOR INNOVATION AND NATIONAL GROWTH (SPRING), CLUSTER ITALIA FORESTA LEGNO (IFL), UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DELLA BASILICATA (UNIBAS), UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DELLA TUSCIA (UNITUS), Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL ADVISORS PC (Q-PLAN), BIOEAST HUB CR, Z. U. (BIOEAST HCR), STICHTING CLIMATE-KIC INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION (CKICF). The diverse actors include universities, research centres, cooperatives, and consultancy organizations, bringing a multidisciplinary group of people together to achieve the project's goals.
“I feel incredibly proud and inspired to lead such a committed and diverse consortium. This project represents a unique opportunity to accelerate Europe’s transition towards a sustainable bioeconomy by building strong bridges between primary producers and bio-based industries. We believe that placing farmers and foresters at the heart of this transformation is essential to unlock the full potential of our regions, drive innovation from the ground up, and ensure long-lasting impact across value chains and territories.” commented Olga de Blas Gómez de Segura – food+i, BIOECONOMY GIANTS Project Coordinator.
All project activities will be published on the project’s social media accounts and website. Stay tuned!
The project is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CBE JU. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
